Is it a myth that women entrepreneurs become more hysterical in face of failure than their male counterparts? I found a reference online that says "Google Books shows 42,700 hits for hysterical woman and 2,820 hits for hysterical man", but perhaps the reference is to which sex is funnier. In any case, as a business coach working with both male and female entrepreneurs my advice is 3 steps we all learned as children: Stop, Drop and Roll.

Now, I'm sure you are wondering why the instructions for fire safety are my suggestion for entrepreneurial hysteria, so let's take it step by step.

First, the last thing any entrepreneur can do in business is lose control. I often hear from clients how they "lost" it in a staff meeting and exploded with anger over a mishandled event. Also, it is not uncommon for me to be called in by a CEO to discuss a financial picture that seems to indicate that the business is doomed. Both events are better dealt with applying the first step STOP then with hysteria.

Anytime you feel yourself losing control think of yourself as literally on fire! Understand that any hysterics only flames the fire at that moment. So, STOP and give yourself time.

Second, now that you are in control of your emotions, you must take the second step and DROP. Of course, I do not want you to drop to the floor in front of your employees or clients, but I do want you to drop out of sight as soon as possible. As CEO and leader, you don't need permission to leave immediately. Go sit down alone in your office or car. Put your head down and breathe.

Third, now that you can react, extinguish the fire by using step three ROLL. I want you to literally roll the situation around in your head. If you are truly out of sight, physically rolling on the floor will help bring the oxygen back into your body once the flames from the problem have subsided. Cover your eyes while you do this and allow yourself to envision a productive outcome.

Entrepreneurs often believe that every problem they are confronted with is an emergency. Women entrepreneurs  tend to react even more abruptly then men to business mishaps, perhaps because they feel the need to prove themselves in control. The only way any of us can remain in control of any situation is to take a step back and assess.

Start today by following these three simple steps every time you feel yourself losing control. As children we learned that STOP, DROP, and ROLL gave us a way to stay safe from fire and was a tool to prevent panic. Sometimes the best lessons learned were during childhood.